Francis Ford Coppola’sTetro (a tepid 8½ knockoff) does the exploration of family thing, how we relate to it and how we grope about for understanding. To be kinder, we could call it une homage. Filmed in black and white (comparisons end here), Vince Gallo is not Marcello, although Maribel Verdú is close to Anita Ekberg, in a darker, duskier Argentinian way.

A cruise ship employee has a layover in Buenos Aires, and seeks out his long lost brother (Gallo) who had left home at a young age, ending up a burn-out in that South American city, a failed writer. The older brother clearly doesn’t want him there, but young 18-year old Bennie persists, and the surprising revelation of the complicated family ties at the end are evidence of both their torment and love. By then though, we don’t much care.